Ciao!
I am Ivana, originally from France. I arrived in La Buona Terra – Italy about a year ago to Kora and work and learn from garden to 
plate. I had just graduated in agronomic engineering and agroecology. I was willing to discover myself in another context, to meet people, get inspired and to actively do things that I could consider as concrete and meaningful.
For a few years already, I have had somewhere in mind to have a farm one day. A farm that would reconnect people to what they eat and that would show that another agriculture is possible. It is a project I worked on during my studies. Then, once here in Italy, I had the opportunity to go back to it by participating in the Italian local workshop of Foodback.
The workshop was about entrepreneurship, and included permaculture as well. I found inspiring to connect both topics as a reminder that making an economically-viable activity does not mean getting far from oneself’s social and environmental values. We worked on a business idea in teams that could be implemented in La Buona Terra. With my group we focused on food production: mostly eggs, cheese, and veggies. I gotta share it later on during the youth seminar with other youngsters. It was inspiring conversations: sharing doubts, fears, needs, weaknesses and strengths of what an entrepreneurial project brings in our minds.
I did the job shadowing in La Buona Terra. La Buona Terra is an Italian farm producing olive oil and essential oils. It is also where the activities of Kora association are hosted: Youth exchange, Team volunteering, workshops etc. I came back with new energy and a new objective: designing and creating a vegetable garden that could supply partly the vegetable needs of the place over the year.
The first two weeks were about planning and designing. I observed the field to understand natural elements (soil, water, sunlight, wind, wildlife, biodiversity). I exchanged with the different actors of the place in order to identify the needs (kitchen team) and the ressources. With this, I tried to come up with a first design that we discussed with my mentors, Dani and Joe.
One key point we analysed together was water. On the field passes the water treatment system from the house. I got a better understanding of the system in place and we worked on extra phytoepuration systems. In parallel, we worked on the rain water collection: the amount of rain water falling on the farm, the water tanks available, where to put them… this allowed us to understand on a longer term how to water the garden with rainwater/cleaned grey-black water. The other key point was the protection of the field from the wildlife, specifically wild boars.
The next two weeks were about preparing the land. From the observations, we agreed that the field attributed to the project was too steep. In order to slow down the impact of rainwater, we did terraces. It was time to put the hands in the dirt and to dig! We did 7 terraces with the help of 5 volunteers. It was impressive to see how in 3 days, big changes could be done… The terraces were born 🙂
This job shadowing gave me a down-to-earth understanding of what is possible to do when you start an agricultural project. I 
can say that it is sometimes difficult to think about everything at the same time especially when your activity depends on many factors such as the weather, suppliers, people. I was impressed on how fast changes can happen: it made me realise that it is also really important to start doing. It is always about having a good balance: taking time to plan, design and recognize when it is time to act.
I would say that I did not work specifically on my own project during the job shadowing, in an office way (working on the business plan etc). However, I learned about phyto epuration, I learned to use new tools, to do terraces and garden steps, to try-fail-observe-retry. It reassures me that it is important to me to work with people as it allows exchanges of experiences and support. This experience also helped me to be more pragmatic.
After this project, I stayed in La Buona Terra to work. It allows me to keep implementing this project: adding compost, mulch, start planting… and see the next steps. I am also learning how to work with groups: I get to improve my management skills with coordination of volunteers and planification of the work.
The main take home message I got from this all Foodback project is:
“First you need to plan in order to avoid some mistakes that could be seen on paper. But at some point you need to jump in. Even if it seems scary, if you feel that you don’t have all the knowledge you need… start doing, step by step, looking at your feet, surrounding yourself with people. You will learn so much along the way! “
Ivana
